COAL - Clpdigital.org

38 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
New York harbor trade is quiet, and is confined
almost exclusively to contract business. All-rail
trade remains unchanged with a fair business.
Transportation from mines to tide is slower than
it has been, but in view of other market conditions
little complaint is being made. The car
supply is good.
The Western anthracite market continues to
take a normal amount of coal. There was a brief
but marked period of improvement in Chicago
recently but the spurt did not last long and a return
to old conditions caused no surprise. The
eastern hard coal trade shows no new features.
Most of the local dealers are well stocked, but
consumers apparently are not interested in the
10c. discount now available, and will wait, probably
until September before putting in further
supplies. At the mines, a great deal of interest
is felt in the necessity for closing down operations
at many points for indefinite lengths of time.
Whatever action is taken by the operating companies
on the question of closing probably will
be concerted.
Hull, Blyth & Co.. of London and Cardiff report
market conditions unchanged with respect
to the better grades of coal, but with slight advances
in the prices of the cheaper sorts. Quotations
are as follows: Best Welsh steam coal,
$3.36; seconds, $3.18; thirds, $3.06; best Monmouthshire,
seconds, $3.00; best small steam coal,
$2.40; seconds, $2.22; other sorts, $1.98.
VALUE OF NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION.
The approximate value of the natural gas produced
and sold in the United States, as reported
to the United States Geological Survey, is shown
in the following table:
Arkansas and Wyoming $ 6,515
California 114,195
Colorado 14,300
Illinois 4,745
Indiana 4,342,409
Indian Territory and Oklahoma 49,665
Kansas 1.517,643
'"Kentucky 322,404
Missouri 6,285
New York 522,575
Ohio 5,315,564
Pennsylvania 18,139,914
South Dakota 12,215
Alabama and Texas 14,082
West Virginia 8,114,249
tTotal $38,496,760
•Includes small quantity produced in Tennessee.
fDoes not include value of gas produced in Canada
and consumed in the United States.
ILLINOIS COAL STATISTICS
COVERING THE YEAR 1904.
The following table, taken from the 23rd annual
report on the production of coal in Illinois, issued
recently by the Illinois board of labor statistics,
presents the salient features of the year's operation:
Counties producing coal 54
Mines and openings of all kinds 932
New mines or old mines re-opened
during the year 106
Mines closed or abandoned since the
last report 109
Total output of all mines in tons of
2,000 pounds 37,077,897
Shipping or commefcial mines 380
Total output of shipping mines, tons.. 35,779,517
Mines in local trade only 552
Output of local mines, tons 1,298,380
Total tons of mine run coal 10,627,904
Tons of lump coal 16,888,010
Tons of egg coal 1,014,700
Tons of nut coal 1,602,383
Tons of pea coal 5,751,570
Tons of slack coal 1,193,330
Tons shipped 31,778,260
Tons supplied to locomotives at mines 1,223,099
Tons sold to local trade 2,521,612
Tons consumed (or wasted) at the
Plant 1,554,926
Days of active operation for shipping
mines 213
Days of active operation for all mines 1.97
Value of all grades at the mines....$ 1.10
Value of mine run at the mines .... 1.03
Value of lump coal at the mines 1.37
Value of egg coal at the mines 1.39
Value of nut coal at the mines 1.0494
Value of screenings coal at the mines, 0.5613
Value of slack coal at the mines 0.3336
Aggregate home value of total product, 40,774,223
Mines in which mining machines are
used 66
Mining machines in use 609
Tons undercut by machines 7,400,343
Tons mined by hand 26,677,554
Miners employed during the year .... 37,987
Other employes underground 9,812
Boys employed underground 1,562
Employes above ground 5,413
Total employes 54 774
Men at work underground 49,361
Number at work at surface 5,413
Price paid, (gross ton) for hand mining
shipping mines Q 5933
Price! paid, (gross ton) machine mining 0.4659
Kegs of powder used for blasting coal, 923,418
Kegs of powder used for other purposes 3,717
Men accidentally killed 137